Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to plumbing fixtures, and more particularly to drain assemblies used to control the flow of fluid through a drain opening of a basin.
Conventional drain assemblies can often require the installer to connect the components of the assembly from beneath the sink on typically cramped, dark spaces. Thus, drain assemblies that can, to some extent, be assembled from above the basin are desirable.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,282,212 discloses a drain assembly having a drain flange that fits down into the drain opening from above the basin. The drain flange has a threaded end that threads into the valve body positioned beneath the sink. A drawback of this assembly is that the connection of the valve body to the drain flange must be made below the basin.
The drain assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,742 uses a separate threaded fastener aligned axially at the center of the opening and connected at its ends to cross members of the drain flange and the waste housing positioned beneath the basin. The fastener can be assembled and tightened from above the basin. This assembly, however, does not provide for use with a movable drain stop operated by a lever mechanism.
An improved drain assembly having a movable drain stop is desired that can to a greater extent be assembled and installed from above the basin.
One aspect of the invention provides a drain assembly for controlling flow through a drain opening. There is a drain body having an upper rim and a laterally extending cross-member with an opening therein. There is also a flange having a bottom rim and a laterally extending cross-member with an opening capable of being positioned in registration with the cross-member opening of the drain body. An axial fastener is simultaneously positionable in the flange opening and drain body opening.
There is also a stopper guide having an axial opening for accommodating the fastener which is axially movable in the flange and drain body. The stopper guide has downwardly extending legs defining an axial slot there between for accommodating the flange and drain body cross members. Another part of the assembly is a stopper connectible to an upper portion of the stopper guide and sized to seal against the flange.
In preferred forms the drain body defines a gasket support area at its upper end around the upper rim, an upper end of the stopper guide has a connection member for engaging the stopper, the connection member permits removably securing the stopper to the stopper guide, and the connection member includes a plurality of upwardly extending fingers having latch surfaces for engaging catch surfaces on the underside of the stopper.
In another aspect the invention provides a method of installing a drain assembly in a drain opening of a basin. One temporarily mounts a drain body to the drain opening from beneath the basin. On then inserts a drain flange into the drain opening from above the basin. Next, one aligns the drain flange to the drain body by inserting a stopper guide into the drain opening and rotating the drain flange with the stopper guide. One then fastens the drain flange and the drain body to the basin with an axial fastener inserted through an opening in the stopper guide. Finally, one connects a stopper onto an upper end of the stopper guide.
The present invention provides a drain assembly having a xe2x80x9cpop-upxe2x80x9d type stopper suitable to be operable by the usual drain valve lever mechanism. However, it can be quickly and easily installed to a basin, primarily from above the basin. The unique stopper guide can be used during installation to align the drain flange and drain body and hold them in the proper alignment while being secured together and to the basin. The stopper guide can then be removed so that the stopper can be quickly snapped or threaded onto its upper end and then dropped back into the drain opening for attachment to a valve stem of a conventional ball-type control mechanism.
The foregoing and still other advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In that description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention. That embodiment does not represent the full scope of the invention. Rather, the claims should be looked to in order to judge the full scope of the invention.